Wednesday, 7 May 2014

Bungee jumping off the world's highest bungee bridge! (you'll love these pictures)


Bungee jumping is one of those things that have always been on my bucket list (along with making my own jam, going to The Ritz for afternoon tea and learning the sax – it’s an eclectic list). Whilst I like the idea of the thrill of it, and plus the bragging rights, I am actually scared of heights. Ok, not so much heights but more have a fear of falling. Funnily enough, so does the Boy so I have no idea why we put it on our to do list for the honeymoon.

But it was on the list. And we have told people. So we had to go through with it!!!


the Boy, showing off and doing it like a pro


Waking up to a deep set cloud, so low we couldn’t see that far ahead of us, we weren’t even sure we were  going to be able to do it anyway. The weather was just so bad. We were meant to be jumping at 1pm but missed the fact that we were meant to get there an hour before so when we rocked up at 1pm, we were told we would have to wait for the 2pm slot.

Waiting around has to be the worst thing about the whole experience. 

Getting weighed (I put 2kg on in a week, damn good food) and getting kitted up took all of ten minutes so it was a long drawn out wait for our slot. It actually worked out well for us though, because by 2pm, the clouds had parted, revelling the valley and mountains before us. Although I am not sure if that is a good thing because now we could see how far up we were – and it was high. This is the world’s highest bridge bungee at over 200m!!!!


highest bungee jump from a bridge in the world!




At 1.45pm we walked the gangway to the jumping point and that’s when it set in – the fear took me by its firm cold grip. At one stage I actually froze and was taking baby steps forward, fretting that I couldn’t possibly go through with it. Luckily I apprehended my cowardice and had already told the Boy NOT to let me back out.

By 1.50pm I was starting to panic.

By 1.53pm I was crying.


Look and you'll see my tears of fear


Not hysterically crying, nor making a scene but enough to get the attention of the Boy and the crew. Unfortunately for the Boy, secretly he was just as scared but had to hide it, putting on shield of bravery for my benefit. I on the other hand had no shield of bravery – I was crying. Quite a lot. But luckily for me, the nice photographer caught it all on camera!!!

I was the second jump so before I knew it, I was up. I had been strapped in and buckled up and being led by two lovely guys to the edge of the bridge. This was all happening too fast.

Did I jump???

Hell yea!

Sometimes you just have to grab life by the short and curlies and do the things that make your heart beat just that little bit faster.

Did I jump like a pro??
Most definitely not!


this kindly got described by my friend @jampaw1 as
"a human shaped stone falling through the sky"...
pretty accurate! 

still not quite head first! 


This was not a cool, calm and collected jump, poised in the swan dive, legs together, toes off the edge, diving head first. Prob didn’t help that in the “5,4,3,2,1” before we had lift off, I asked the crew if it would be ok if I closed my eyes and they could just push me?!

My jump can only be described as a baby bird leaving the net prematurely, panicking, and trying to grab hold of something to pull back into safety but cannot cos its already free falling to the ground. 


can this be described as a swan dive????


Going down feet first, head in the air, arms stretched out in sheer devastated panic, I literally had stepped off the edge, remaining that position the majority of the way before levelling out and dipping into a vertical head first  - not the head first swan dive you are told to bust out.

I was so petrified going down that for the first time ever, I was silent. I didn’t even scream!!!

But once you start going down, and you take a good look at the scenery (which is spectacular) you do actually enjoy it!!

The feeling of going down, free falling, is one of the weirdest experiences - on the one hand it happens within a matter of seconds but on the other it feels so still. It’s actually a kind of peaceful surrounding.

Once your spent, you can kick back and take a look around whilst you wait for a crew member to come down an get you, he’ll spin you back upright so you’re not being reeled in upside down. 


finally, a smile! 


I was still so scared of the height at this point I was clinging to his leg. Which I don’t think you are allowed to do as the Boy got told to let go of his leg. I didn't. 

To be honest with you, I was actually still scared going back over the gangway to land. Looking down still put the heebie jeebies in me even though I had just gone head feet first down the gorge.

I would like to point out at this stage though that what I did was technically a jump. I jumped off the bridge feet first. What they required was a dive, which brings me to question, why is it called a bungee jump and not a bungee dive???? I am obviously now telling myself that had they been more technically correct, I would have done it perfect!!!!!!!!!!!!


and my fake eye lashes remained in tact!!! 



X x X 

Face adrenalin are then guys who do the bridge jump at Bloukrans bridge at Plettenberg Bay, South Africa. You can book online - it costs about £40. And don’t forget to get there an hour before!



read part one of Cape Town here
read part two of Cape Town here

read about our  amazing hotel in Camps Bay here
read about the winelands here
read about the  fun with ostriches here
read about Plettenberg Bay here



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